Romeo and Juliet and Farkle: A Girl Meets World Theory

Romeo and Juliet have been referenced lately in Girl Meets World, so I watched Girl Meets Truth where it all seemed to begin. We know that Romeo and Juliet is supposedly the most romantic story in existence, but both Romeo and Juliet die. As theowldectective pointed out: they choose the scene right before both die to play out this episode. 

Farkle plays the spear carrier (Cory's role in Boy Meets World) and he interrupts the play right before Lucas kisses Riley. 

He tells Lucas that this isn't Romeo and Juliet, it's Romeo and Juliet and Farkle. This is no accident. It's very clear that Farkle believes he has no part in the story: a point that is brought up in multiple episodes. 

Farkle asks the audience, "Who thinks that the spear carrier should finally get to kiss Juliet?" 

The audience breaks into applause and Maya says, "You kiss that girl you crazy spear carrier!" 

It is then that Farkle calls Maya to the stage. I found this particularly interesting, because Maya imitates Juliet. This seems to foreshadow the triangle, and it also implies the overall narrative of the story. Also worth noting is Maya's cat T-shirt. Purple cat anyone?

This episode is all about telling the truth, which Riley doesn't. Instead of telling Farkle he killed the play, she tells him he's one of the best actors in middle school today. Very interesting, because Farkle's reaction to this is to change who he is. (Note he is wearing a bear shirt here)

Farkle changes his entire identity, "because Riley said so." This seems to foreshadow his transformation to Donnie Barnes. (note that he tells them Farkle is gone and they will never see him again in this scene.) 

One of the last shots of this episode is particularly interesting, because Farkle is wearing red, like Juliet and imitating the act of her death when Riley finds him. This is no accident. Riley's opinion has a huge impact on Farkle, but he has lost himself along the way. 

The dialogue of this scene is repeated by Lucas in Ski Lodge. Riley says she could never hurt Farkle. Lucas says that he could never hurt Maya, but that is exactly what they do. 

After Farkle tells Riley, "You made me believe in something unrealistic," he gets up from the slab, and kisses Riley, mimicking the famous kiss that Cory and Topanga have in Boy Meets World. 

But the show isn't over yet, because Lucas re-enters wearing orange. I don't think he has ever worn orange since- correct me if I'm wrong. He recites Romeo's lines, and then claims that his moment was stolen by Farkle, but his moment will be his moment. 

Riley mimics Juliet again, right before Juliet is supposed to die while Maya looks on. At the end of the scene, both girls mimic Juliet. 

So what does this have to do with the overall narrative? Well, Lucas claimed that his moment would be his moment, and he decides that his moment is Ski Lodge. Riley's dress in the Rilucas fantasy is very similar to Juliet's. Not to mention the fact that she dies at the end of her fantasy. 

This is a direct connection to Romeo and Juliet. And it's odd that Lucas is ready to leave Riley because Maya is with Josh. Josh also tells Lucas that no matter who he chooses, it's the end of the world. Just like the end of Romeo and Juliet. And according to Truth, the end of Farkle. Didn't Farkle tell Riley he was dead inside at the beginning of Ski Lodge?

And there's no question that the leaf (completely orange) represented Farkle in the Bay Window scene: 

But these are not the only parallels to Truth that I found. 

Farkle wears red, and a bear on his shirt in this episode, while Riley wears red too. Red was Juliet's color in the play. 

And then there's Lucas's moment, after Maya tells him to go to Riley. He literally tells Riley that this is their moment. Riley is wearing orange here, which calls back to the ending scene of the play. 

So what does all this mean? 

Well, Ski Lodge had a very Midsummer Night's Dream atmosphere. I would even argue that Evan was Puck, who messed around with everyone's feelings using his magic quiz book: 

He tells them all that conversation is the most important part of a relationship, which any Boy Meets World fan knows is a lie. Honesty was the correct answer. 

So all these characters are jumbled up again, and they're back in the square dance. 

But there's more. Shawn mentioned Romeo and Juliet in Upstate when he was talking about Cory and Topanga. He also said he chased after what they had. This is a reoccurring theme in the story, everyone wants to be like Cory and Topanga. (Romeo and Juliet?)

So these call backs to Girl Meets Truth are no accident. Especially since Shawn finally found happiness in Girl Meets I Do: 

So the story can finally move forward, but the characters themselves are in reset mode. Honestly there are connections to Truth, Yearbook and The Forgotten. 

If you watch Yearbook again, the parallels are uncanny! Farkle changes. Riley changes. Maya is considered to be Riley. Lucas gets upset. The major lesson is that you shouldn't let people tell you who you are. These characters are repeating history, because they haven't learned from it yet. Hopefully revealing what's behind the curtain (the illusion that Riley's world should be like Cory's) will help them acknowledge who they really are, and then they will be able to choose who they really care for. In terms of the triangle that is not a triangle, Girl Meets First Date is a good episode to watch. 

MJ said that the overall story of the show is "An attempt to explain, for this generation, what the perception of love is, versus what love may actually be, versus are we ready for that at all?”

What if Romeo and Juliet is the perception of love? The Cory and Topanga expectation? 

The reality is something very different.